Categories: Maintaining Mindfulness
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
Welcome. As always, we are gathered here to explore the spiritual path together. In our series of discussions, we aim to provide you with a practical understanding of how to cultivate mindfulness. It’s a journey we take together, one step at a time.
We consistently emphasize that these teachings are not confined to books or theories. Our goal is to explain how to train the mind practically, through methods of both tranquility, known as Samatha, and insight, known as Vipassana. This series focuses on the insight path, beginning with the foundational element: mindfulness. We have already explored what mindfulness is and its function. Today, we will delve into what specifically happens during the initial stages of practicing mindfulness.
If you are new to these teachings, we encourage you to explore our full collection of articles on this topic. You will undoubtedly find a deeper understanding there. We’ve previously shown how to practice this by silently observing the mind and offered guided, practical sessions on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. These resources can give you a clear, step-by-step understanding of the process.
Mindfulness: The Magnifying Glass for Your Mind
So, what happens in the early stages of practicing mindfulness? As ordinary individuals, what Buddhism calls puthujjana, or ‘worldlings’ who have not yet reached stages of awakening, we begin this practice after hearing a teaching or studying the scriptures. When we first try to cultivate mindfulness, a significant event occurs: we begin to recognize things we never noticed before.
Before, we never sorted through the thoughts in our minds, whether good or bad. We didn’t understand their nature. But through the practice of mindfulness, we gain the ability to see them with direct clarity. Always remember, mindfulness is a tool that reveals the unseen. It helps you see what you previously did not. I have often compared it to a magnifying glass or a microscope; it is a powerful instrument for observation.
In these initial stages, the primary benefit of practicing mindfulness is this act of recognition. We start to see the different types of thoughts in our mind: wholesome thoughts and unwholesome thoughts. If we break it down further:
- A thought of desire or greed arises, and we see it as a thought of desire.
- A thought of anger arises, and we see it clearly as a thought of anger.
- A thought of jealousy arises, and we recognize it as jealousy.
- A thought of ill-will arises, and it is seen for what it is.
In short, we begin to identify our unwholesome thoughts, known in Buddhism as akusala.
At the same time, we also see the wholesome side. We notice thoughts of wanting to help someone, thoughts free from jealousy, and thoughts of wishing no harm. We see the desire to be generous, the wish for another’s success, and feelings of loving-kindness, or Metta. These positive thoughts also become clearly visible. As you practice, you will be able to watch all these different parts of your mind.
Recognizing Reality Through the Six Senses
This power of recognition extends beyond just our thoughts. Mindfulness is the energy that helps you identify everything that comes through your six sense doors.
Let’s say you see a beautiful man or woman, a lovely image, or even an unpleasant one. What helps you recognize this visual input? It is the power of mindfulness.
You hear a sound, pleasant or unpleasant. What helps you identify it? The power of mindfulness.
You smell a fragrance or an odor through your nose. What helps you recognize it? The power of mindfulness.
You taste something sweet or bitter on your tongue. What helps you recognize it? The power of mindfulness.
You feel a pleasant or painful sensation on your body. What helps you recognize it? The power of mindfulness.
We must understand this. As I have explained in previous teachings, all of these experiences, from the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body, ultimately arrive at the mind. And when our mind is not engaged with an object in the present moment through one of these five doors, it tends to wander. It clings to a thought about the past or the future. It might try to savor a memory from years ago, school days, a vacation, a meal you ate, replaying it over and over. What allows you to see this mental activity happening? It is mindfulness that shows it to you. This is the reality of the initial period of practice.
The Challenge: Why the Mind Resists Being Watched
During this initial phase, you should expect this kind of recognition and not seek anything more. Don’t set your expectations too high. When you sit for meditation, perhaps focusing on the breath, you may start to feel aches in your knees and legs or various other physical discomforts. What helps you recognize, ‘Now there is a pain in my body’? It is mindfulness that clearly points it out. This power helps us see everything as we walk, as we stand, as we think.
You might now understand how mindfulness, this powerful energy, assists in every moment. We develop this skill little by little. However, as we continue practicing mindfulness, a common experience is that we forget to be mindful. The probability of this is high. It becomes difficult to maintain continuous mindfulness.
The reason for this is the delusion, or Moha, in our minds. The mind does not like being watched. It prefers to look out at the world and be absorbed by it. It loves to cling to or push away the forms, sounds, and other objects coming through the senses. The mind does not want you to see that these experiences are simply arising within it. It never likes this. We need to understand this is the mind’s nature.
Navigating the Pressure of Constant Awareness
Because of this resistance, when we first start practicing mindfulness, we can get tired of it. We forget to maintain it. This is the nature of the mind. And yet, there are many among you who, after listening to these teachings, have practiced diligently and made significant progress. They send us messages and seek guidance on the next steps, and we have provided that counsel on how to proceed systematically.
We must understand that mindfulness will not be continuous at first. The pull of other objects is strong, and the mind gets tired of watching itself. You cannot watch the mind continuously. Since we teach that you should be practicing mindfulness in your daily life, at any time, it’s natural to grow weary of doing it constantly. I must repeat: this is the nature of the mind. There is no rule that you must watch the mind continuously. We develop this practice little by little.
If you try to force yourself to watch the mind all the time, that effort itself becomes a form of pressure. Watching the mind becomes stressful. You must recognize that pressure too. This continuous effort can feel like a great burden, a trouble. At that point, you must understand that this too is the mind’s nature. You can’t watch it all the time; you will forget. And trying to force it creates its own pressure. This can manifest physically, like a tightness or tension in the head. If you feel this, do not get scared and stop the practice. If you give up out of fear, you will only regret it later. You will never move beyond that stage.
The Gradual Path: A Journey, Not a Destination
Do not create a rule or a rigid view in your mind that practicing mindfulness will suddenly bring about immense bliss, comfort, or an instantaneous awakening to Nibbana (liberation). This will never happen all at once. The results come at their own pace for the person who practices correctly, according to their ability to grasp the method. The only thing you need to do is understand the experiences that arise in the initial period.
The journey is not always along a beautiful path strewn with flowers. Yes, there are flowery paths ahead, but the initial phase is often a rough road with gravel and thorns. We cannot attain liberation without understanding and walking through this difficult terrain.
This is why we teach these things. Don’t expect strange things from your practice. From the beginning all the way to Nibbana, the function of mindfulness is to help you recognize what is happening. We don’t just jump to a comfortable place. It is a step-by-step journey, like going to school from the first grade, passing your exams, and then eventually reaching university. This path must be walked step by step.
Past Practice and Moving Forward with Wisdom
Your ability to sustain mindfulness can also be influenced by your past. If you did not practice in previous lives, it might be more difficult in this life. If you have practiced before, you will be ableto grasp the technique very quickly in this life. This is the effect of kamma, the results of our intentional actions from the past. We should understand this as well.
So, remember: if you develop this power of mindfulness correctly, it helps you progress easily on the path of tranquility (Samatha) and the path of insight (Vipassana). This becomes truly clear only to those who practice. For those who only listen to teachings or limit themselves to book knowledge, this understanding will not arise. To only read or listen is a form of ignorance; it is foolishness. Therefore, you must engage in practicing mindfulness. There is no restriction based on age, race, or religion.
When you recognize the pressure that comes from watching the mind, and you understand it as the nature of the mind, that pressure will slowly begin to decrease. Once it subsides, you will realize, ‘I am now moving beyond this stage. I am taking the next step.’ This is why we wanted to clarify what happens in the initial phase of practicing mindfulness. Beyond this point, mindfulness develops in much deeper ways, but you must understand these foundational stages first.
All the things we have discussed, recognizing thoughts, understanding feelings, the pressure in the mind, are part of this initial phase. The primary result is not the elimination of defilements (kilesa), but the cultivation of recognition. The purification of mind happens gradually later on.
Conclusion: The Wisdom of Recognition
With this understanding, we encourage you to reflect on these teachings again. By practicing the development of insight—also known as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness or Sati-sampajañña (mindfulness and clear comprehension)—our goal is the diminishing of mental defilements. This too happens systematically. In the beginning, we shouldn’t expect a great eradication of defilements. First, we must rely on mindfulness to simply help us recognize what is there.
Offering you this clarity, we conclude today’s teaching. May the power and blessings of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, the Triple Gem, give you the strength to understand these points and put them into practice.
We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.
Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.
May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!.
